Social networking services are focused on building networks of people that share the same background, interests, and/or activities. Many types of social networking services are World Wide Web (“Web”)-based and provide a variety of mechanisms for users to discover and add other users to their social network. These types of Web-based social networking services also provide a variety of mechanisms for users to communicate with one another.
In order to facilitate the creation of a social network, many Web-based social networking services ask users to submit information about themselves that is shown to visitors. For instance, a user may be asked to submit their contact information, their date and place of birth, a list of interests, and the names of the schools they have attended. This information is commonly referred to as a “profile,” and is typically shown to other users on a profile page accessible through the social networking service.
One type of social networking service user gladly takes the time necessary to provide most, or even all, of the information that may be stored in a profile. In contrast, another type of user will supply only the absolute minimum amount of information necessary to create a valid profile. This second type of user is generally happy to visit and interact with the profile pages of other users without taking the time necessary to create a rich and expressive profile page of their own. However, an incomplete user profile can limit the ability of a social networking service user to locate and interact with other users of the social networking service.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.